29 Sep IFA Becomes First to Gain Chartered Bankers Institute’s Diploma in Investment Planning through workplace assessment

An IFA has become the first person to gain the Chartered Bankers Institute’s Diploma in Investment Planning through workplace assessment, marking him out as what should hopefully be the starting point for other advisers to gain the qualification and become RDR compliant. William Young, who owns his own consulting firm, received the certificate for the Experience Counts assessment after it was added to the FSA's list of approved assessments earlier in the year. He essentially acted as the pilot candidate for the scheme and he commented "Achieving this qualification in such a comparably short space of time has allowed me to focus on running my business without disruption, in the knowledge I am fully qualified above the RDR minimum level four. "Experience Counts is a no-nonsense process. I was helped by professional assessors who understood my knowledge and background, and helped me get through the assessment successfully." J ayne Owen, chief executive of Corpor ate Training Partnerships, added that the course covers every aspect of the syllabus whilst also providing a practical environment for the person being tested to prove their skills. She commented "There is a simple four-step process for financial advisers interested in gaining the qualification through Experience Counts. These are: * Check if the route is suitable by taking the online diagnostic * A qualified assessor will then go through what is required to prepare for the assessment and identify any further gaps in knowledge or evidence * Agree a date for the assessor to visit your place of work to collect evidence and check knowledge. * If there are still outstanding competencies that cannot be assessed these will be identified and a development plan created to address these. Finally the assessor will submit the evidence to prove you meet the standards.